What is Pottery?

Pottery is a craft that involves shaping clay into a vessel and then firing it in a kiln to remove moisture, harden the wares, and set their shape. It is a form of ceramics that is both functional and artistic, with a history dating back thousands of years. Pottery is a slow art, requiring patience and skill to master. It is also highly individualized and can be used to express the potter’s personal style.

Potters use a wide variety of handbuilding and wheel-thrown techniques to create their works. Handbuilding is the earliest and most individualized pottery making method, with wares constructed from coils, flat slabs, or solid balls of clay. These pieces are joined together using slurry, or slip, a runny mixture of clay and water that acts like glue to adhere the parts of the pot. Handbuilding can be more time-consuming than wheel-throwing, but it allows the potter greater control over the size and shape of a piece.

Many additives can be worked into the clay body prior to forming, producing a variety of effects in finished wares. Fine sand and grog (fired clay that has been ground to a very fine texture) can be added to decrease shrinkage, while contrast colored clays and glazes can produce decorative results.

Most of these additives must be fired at high temperatures to produce a durable product, known as stoneware. Porcelain requires even higher temperature firing, due to the presence of kaolin clay in its makeup.

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